Water Policy

As the UK looks to a future outside the EU with a new Prime Minister at the helm, and a new Environment Secretary in post, will there be any difference in the way our water environment is protected – or can we expect business as usual? As Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom get to work, […]

THE HOUSE of Lords became the rather polite battleground last week for an attempt to revive abandoned proposals to establish a separate local authority approval system for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in England and remove developers’ automatic right to connect to the public sewer. Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (FMWA) […]

As the majority Conservative Government gets to work, Environment Secretary Liz Truss has returned to her desk and new under-secretary Rory Stewart has been appointed with a brief including the natural environment, floods and water and lead responsibility for overseeing the Environment Agency. In the Queen’s Speech on May 27, the Government reiterated its promise […]

A brave new world for SuDS began when new planning regulations came into force last month, designed to ensure, where possible, that Sustainable Drainage Systems are used on major new developments in England. With a much-needed push for new homes underway, it ought to be a relief that more than 10 years of wrangling over […]

Throughout the election campaign all the main parties have been united in one commitment at least – that tackling the housing crisis will be top of the agenda for the next Government. After the General Election, incentivising new homes building will be a priority and that has to be good news for the country and […]

With the countdown to the 2015 General Election underway, the two main parties have already gone head-to-head on flood spending and flooding is a fighting issue in a number of key marginal seats, which should keep it in the public eye. Meanwhile, in a highly-unusual show of unity, the three main parties came together on […]

SuDS Delays: Have We Lost Sight of our Founding Principles? It seems almost unbelievable. Yet another SuDS delay. Six years after 2007 floods that prompted ‘urgent action’ and right in the midst of more severe storms and floods, the Government has confirmed it will not meet its target of implementing SuDS regulations in England and […]

Important clues to the future of SuDS delivery in England and Wales emerged from the publication of the Water Bill and the commentary that accompanied it. The Government has confirmed its aim to commence Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act in April 2014. This will make the right to connect surface water […]

Defra have clearly indicated that schedule 3 will be implemented in April 2014 and as promised there will be six months notice. The language initially used was “we will” however the language has started to change to “we aim”. Within the Defra’s response to the EFRA Parliamentary Group the phrase “…” was used six times, […]

As Britain is gripped by a floods crisis, Government indecision and inertia is seriously delaying vital work to protect thousands of homes and properties in the UK. Devastating flooding could cause £millions of damage in scenes reminiscent of the 2007 floods which prompted a groundbreaking Government review by Sir Michael Pitt. Yet how much real […]

When the news quietly trickled through, local authority SuDS approving teams could not have been surprised to learn that they will not be commencing their new roles in April 2013. A further delay had come to seem inevitable. The question is, what should the preparing SABs do now? Those who are farthest ahead could follow […]

With the call by Prince Charles to revisit the definition of civil engineering, it is now timely for professional civil engineers to not be afraid to say what they really think to government, clients and employers. The Profession firstly serves mankind and everything we do needs to take a global perspective. However, personal fears may […]

So, the consultation on the National SuDS Standards is closed, and we are all eagerly awaiting the outcome. The draft standards are much as expected, but I am surprised, and more than a little concerned, that they contain such an unmanageable get out clause allowing any development to be exempt from SUDS if the SUDS […]

Written By: Simon Bunn Sustainable Drainage Engineer, Cambridge City Council

One of the most interesting parts of the National SuDS Standard consultation is not what is in it but what is in the consultation on the automatic adoption of new gravity foul sewers and lateral drains. This implements a change in the Water Industry Act that was proposed in the Flood and Water Management Act. […]

Just as winds and floods lashed the North of England, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman announced the Government’s long-awaited Water White Paper – with a stern warning of need for action to tackle severe water shortages. The dramatic contrasts in weather conditions couldn’t have provided a more pressing reminder of the impacts of climate change, which […]

Let’s face it: drainage has a pretty unromantic image. For most, it’s a prosaic, practical necessity – out of sight and out of mind. The idea that it could somehow deliver a net benefit to the natural environment requires a huge leap of faith. Yet redefining drainage as an ‘ecosystems service’ is no pipe dream. […]

In my view the management of surface water in our urban and peri-urban environments is inextricably linked with water resources and the provision of water supplies to urban conurbations. It seems obvious to me that in this era of new technologies, creative architecture and integrated urban planning (not to mention the Flood and Water Management Act and forthcoming Water White Paper), that we should be building-in surface water capture and harvesting infrastructure both into new development and as part of reconstruction / refurbishment of existing development to offset local water demand.